Categories

Meta

We're beyond the galaxy

DeVos the Deva

People all over the country are bemoaning the death of America and its education system, with President Trump’s newly appointed secretary of education, Elizabeth “Betsy” DeVos. Devos has been a point of controversy even prior to her appointment, and the talk surrounding her certainly increased ever since Trump announced her nomination in November 2016. He called her a brilliant advocate of education, but in reality she has no hands-on experience in education. The kind of education she is interested in advocating – or at least, she was in the past – is not the kind that everyone will want to get on board with, and this is precisely the reason why many teacher groups and educator unions have come out against her appointment.

She barely made it. She certainly wasn’t popular at the nominee committee, let me tell you. The vote was on the fence at her confirmation, with a real 50-50, and then she was pushed through by Mike Pence. So, now she is in, and I feel it is only fair to give her the same opportunities as we would any other secretary of education. True, she does seem to lack experience, and in a big way, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, Trump was elected because of his lack of political experience. People have become so sick and tired of politicians, so they elected a non-politician. Likewise, people who are not happy with this country’s system of education – and there are plenty of those – may find that DeVos is exactly what this country’s school system needs. Time will tell.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

DeVos is 59, and has been a donor of the Republican party for many years. She is a billionaire, a devout Christian, and a supporter of the efforts to privatize public schools. Again, who is to say whether or not this will work in favor of the people. You have to remember that the government – and the department of education which DeVos will be heading – are there to work for the people. DeVos is a supporter of homeschooling, digital education, and other types of establishments like edumuch. DeVos has never held an actual teaching position, whether hands-on or administrative, and the reform she tried to lead in her home state of Michigan were not too successful. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that things won’t be better on a nationwide scale. She is not a fan of public education, to say the least, and it stands to reason that her and the new President will be making many changes in the coming months to the school system.

DeVos has been politically involved since the 70’s, and now she has taken office in Mr. Trump’s new administration. How is this going to turn out? Who can say. It could be the thing America has been hoping for, and it may crash and burn. One thing is clear: with Trump as President, you can expect a lot of things to change around here. Let’s hope the future of education in America is in good hands.